The Birthday Girl Alternate Ending
by Natalia Vronsky
Summary: Warning: Character Death - Alternate end to my fic "The Birthday Girl". It's Marissa's birthday. Answer to a challenge given by Kelsey on the ocfanfiction group for a birthday fic. r&r please. :)


Title: The Birthday Girl - Alternate Ending  
  
Part: 1/1  
  
Rating: R   
  
Summary: Ficclet. It's Marissa's birthday. Answer to Kelsey's weekly challenge at the ocfanfiction group for a B-Day fic. Warning: Character Death.  
  
Note: Happy B-Day Kelsey!   
  
Disclaimer: The O.C. and all characters belong to Warner Brothers TV and a whole buncha other companies, not me. Wish I was making money off this, but alas, I am not.  
  
Feedback: Please and thank you!  
  
There was a mini "bang!" that resounded in the room. "Happy Birthday!" Joyously shouted was followed. Streams of colored, the exploding noise, flew around in the wind the open door let in.   
  
"Coop?"   
  
"Funny, I thought she was here."   
  
Summer put the pile of gifts she was holding down and flicked on some lights. Large candles, wax almost completely spent were scattered across the room.   
  
Remnants of the pre-birthday romantic evening Ryan had shared with Marissa.   
  
Summer immediately reached over and smacked Seth's arm. "I told you we should have come earlier. Ryan probably took her out to dinner or something."  
  
"Ow." Seth rubbed his arm.   
  
"Stop being such a big baby." Summer snickered.   
  
"I think you should kiss it better." Summer rolled her eyes but did what he'd suggested anyway. "So, what do you wanna do now?"  
  
"Let's wait a bit."  
  
"Okay."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Seth... Summer, what are you doing here?" Ryan walked into the guesthouse, interrupting their make-out session.  
  
"We were waiting for you and Marissa. Where is she?"  
  
He shrugged. "Sandy needed some help at The Lighthouse. She was here when I left."  
  
"Well, she's not here... and she's definitely not with her mom."  
  
"Maybe she's at her dads?"  
  
"No. He was at The Lighthouse. He said he was gonna pick her up later for dinner, but he was still there when I left."  
  
Summer pulled her cell phone out of her purse and called Marissa's cell. A little beeping sound announced the cell was in the guesthouse. Summer's eyes welled with tears. "Where is she?"  
  
"I dunno. Let me change and we'll go look for her, okay?" Ryan got a change of clothes and rushed into the bathroom.   
  
Seth and Summer stayed where they were until the heard Ryan's cry of "oh, god!"  
  
"Ryan, what is it?" The smell of blood was strong as they ran into the bathroom.  
  
"Oh..." Summer's face blanched. "Marissa?"  
  
Marissa sat huddled in the corner of the bathroom, blood staining the fluffy white robe she was wearing. Her eyes were wide and unblinking. Tears welled there, but did not fall.   
  
"What happened?" Ryan asked, not daring to move an inch further into the room, though he desperately wanted to go in and hold Marissa.  
  
Marissa opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out as her chapped lips moved. But the words she intended to say were easily read off her slow moving lips.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An hour and a half earlier~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I thought you'd be here." Julie Cooper said as she walked into the Cohen's guesthouse.  
  
"What do you want?" Marissa stood there in a robe she'd found in the back of Ryan's closet. She'd just filled the tub with water and was getting ready for a nice, quite little birthday bath.   
  
"It's your birthday."  
  
"And?"  
  
"I wanted to spend the day with my daughter."  
  
"The daughter you just recently threatened to institutionalize?"  
  
"You can't run away every time you have a problem."  
  
"You screwing Luke wasn't my problem. It's yours. Your disgusting problem." Marissa turned her back to her mother. "I can't believe you."  
  
"Marissa, it's over."  
  
"It never should have started in the first place!" She screamed, anger burning her fragile, teenage soul.   
  
"It shouldn't have. But it did. I..." Julie sighed. "I was wrong. I know that. But..."  
  
"But what? There should be no "buts". You were wrong. Period." Marissa laughed a derisive little laugh. "I think you should go."  
  
"I'm not done here."  
  
"Well I am." With that she marched into the bathroom. She pouted, seeing no steam rising from the water. It was cold now. Yet another thing she could blame on her mother.   
  
"You will listen to me." Julie followed her into the bathroom and grabbed Marissa's arm.   
  
"Let go of me!" She yelled, shoving Julie away with her free arm.   
  
She must have pushed her harder than she thought... or she must have slipped, the combination of steam slicked floors and heels not very good. Whatever it was, Julie's head made a sickening thud as it collided with the wall...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I'm so sorry, Mommy."  
  
Julie Cooper lay on the cool tiles of the bathroom floor, the film of death over her eyes. Blood was still seeping from the wound on her head.  
  
Ryan, Summer and Seth stood in the doorway, not sure of what to do. Horrified, sacred and worried for Marissa as she sat there, eyes fixed on her mothers dead form, mouthing "I'm sorry, Mommy", over and over. 


End file.
